1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a sheet transfer device which allows a sheet, if jammed across the sheet transfer device and its adjacent sheet transfer device arranged along a sheet transfer route in an image forming apparatus while being transferred along the sheet transfer route, to be easily taken out from the devices without leaving the jammed sheet in the devices.
2. Related Art
Generally, the sheet transfer device configured to transfer sheets is applied to an image forming apparatus such as a printer configured to print images and characters on sheets and a photocopier configured to duplicate images and characters on sheets.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-31422 discloses such an image forming apparatus to which the sheet transfer device is applied. In this image forming apparatus, when paper jam occurs and a jammed sheet exists across a main body and a drawer unit, the jammed sheet can be automatically prevented from tearing.
Although illustration is omitted herein, the aforementioned image forming apparatus includes units for sheet transfer (for example, a sheet transfer unit and a duplex printing unit) as drawer units in various portions of the apparatus such that the units can be drawn out in a substantially horizontal direction to protrude from the front side of the main body.
For example, the aforementioned sheet transfer unit includes: a base portion engaging with rails in the main body and configured to be capable of being drawn out in a front direction orthogonal to a sheet transfer direction; and a sheet guide member attached onto the base portion and configured to be openable and closeable by turning about a supporting shaft extending in a sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet transfer direction.
Further, a sheet transfer route for transferring sheets is formed between the base portion and the sheet guide member and pairs of upper and lower sheet transfer rollers are arranged along the sheet transfer route.
When sheet jam occurs, a controller stops all of the sheets being transferred in the main body. In addition, if the sheet is stopped to exist across the main body and the drawer unit configured as described above, the controller moves the stopped sheet to cause the sheet to completely enter the drawer unit or the main body.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-31422 states that a user can take out a jammed sheet from the sheet transfer route by: drawing out the sheet transfer unit from the main body: and then opening the sheet guide member upward from the base portion to expose the sheet transfer route.